


Love, Family and Soccer

by hecsoccer



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2020-10-21 19:05:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20698367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hecsoccer/pseuds/hecsoccer
Summary: Heather Stanton is having a great life.  She is playing for the Chicago Red Stars with her sister and two of her best friends.  Nothing could go wrong well that is till Tobin Heath tries to reconnect with her through out the season.  Can Heather still win the fight to protect her heart or is she fighting against her heart instead of protecting it.





	1. Chapter 1

3 years earlier  
Heather Stanton smiled as she found Kelley O'Hara after the final UNC vs Stanford game. "I guess UNC is ok" Kelley said giving Heather a hug. "You know I could say the same thing about Stanford." Kelley just laughed as she walked away. Heather was looking for Tobin. "You looking for your girl" Ashlyn asked. "I don't know what you are talking about" Heather said with a smile. "Sure. I think I saw her at half field" Ashlyn said patting Heather's shoulder before walking away.  
Heather found Tobin standing at half field. She was about to call out to her when she saw Christen running towards her and they kissed. Heather just walked away wiping at her eyes.

Now  
Heather smiled as she drank her apple juice. "You're happy this morning" her sister Nikki asked. "Its game day. Why wouldn't I be happy." "Because we're playing Portland" Morgan said. "I still don't know why you don't like Portland" Sam asked. "I do." "Shh. Everyone has a team that they don't like and Portland just happens to be mine. Can we drop it now." "Fine but I'm going to find out what Morgan knows that I don't." "Keep telling yourself that but my lips are closed" Morgan said with a knowing look at Heather.

Chicago vs Portland  
Morgan and Heather were messing around during warm ups while Thomas Rhett's Look What God Gave Her played through the speakers of SeatGeek Stadium. "Can you guys focus" Julie said with a smile. "This is them focused. No one is getting past Moe and Heather" Alyssa said. You got that right" Morgan said as her and Heather did their handshake.  
Heather smiled as she watched Tierna was getting ready to take the corner kick. Heather and Morgan smiled at each other. One of them was going to score off of the kick. Tierna sent the ball in and Heather went in for a header. The last thing that Heather remembered before everything went black was her head hitting the goal post and the ball hitting the back of the net.  
"Hea…Heathe…Heather." Heather opened her eyes to see Morgan and Meghan Klingenburg standing over her. "What happened?" "Welcome back to the land of the living" Meghan said. "You're pretty." Morgan's eyes got big and Meghan just started laughing. "Ok. She needs medical. Thanks Kling but I got it from here." "Now I know why Moe likes…" Morgan quickly covered Heather's mouth as medical came over. "Seriously I think she needs her head and mouth checked" Morgan told medical.

The next morning  
Morgan walked into Heather's hospital room. "How are you feeling?" "Like my head hit a metal pole but at least I get to go home." "Yeah Nikki and Sam are waiting for us in the car."  
Heather smiled as she sat on Morgan's bed back at the apartment. "Did Rory say you could travel with us to the Utah game" Morgan asked. "Yeah. I'm flying out with you guys and watching the game from one of the boxes. I'm just glad that I'm only missing one game." "Yeah. I think we all are with all the stuff that you were saying." "Please tell me that I didn't say anything stupid to anyone." "Well." Heather groaned into one of Morgan's pillows. "Relax. You didn't say anything to Heath if that's what your worried about. Kling on the other hand." "Oh Moe I'm sorry." "Its fine. I told Kling after the game that you didn't know that you were saying . I would rather her think that you were making everything up then her know it was the truth and not feel the same way." Heather just hugged Morgan.  
The next day was a recovery day so Nikki, Sam, Morgan and Heather were walking around downtown Chicago. "Glad to see you standing up right again." The girls turned to see Meghan, Lindsey, Emily and Tobin. "What are you guys still doing here" Morgan asked moving in front of Heather. She knew that Heather could take care of herself but she was use to being in front of her on the field that's just how their friendship worked. "We had the day off since we don't head back to Portland till tomorrow so we figured we would walk around Chicago" Emily said with a smile. "I guess we could show you around if you want" Nikki said. "Actually I have something I need to do. So I will see you guys back at the apartment later" Sam said before walking away. "What happened to recovery days being roommate days" Heather called after her. "So now what" Lindsey asked.  
"So you are only missing the Utah game" Meghan said as they were seating at a table eating ice cream. "Yeah. Thankfully that's the only game I'm missing but at least Rory is still letting me travel with them" Heather said watching Tobin texting someone. "Hey Tobs haven't you texted Christen enough" Lindsey asked. Tobin just smiled. "She's probably texting her to let her know that I can't play. She's done it before" Heather mumbled. "What did you say" Tobin asked. "I said that my head hurts. I think we should go home." "I think that's a good idea. Good luck against Houston" Nikki said as her, Heather and Morgan left.

That night  
Heather and Morgan were watching tv while Nikki had went to go get dinner and bring it back for them. They still had no clue where Sam was. Just then a girl walked out of Sam's bedroom wearing a bra and booty shorts. "Oh hello" the girl said with a smile. "Uh hi who are you" Morgan asked. Just then Sam came out in a sports bra and booty shorts. "Oh hi guys. I didn't hear you come in." "She needs to leave before my sister gets back" Heather said as the apartment door opened. "Hey guys I got the usual. Have either of you heard" Nikki stopped as she took in Sam and the other girl's state of undress. She dropped the take-out bags and ran out of the apartment. "Nikki!" Heather yelled following her.  
She caught her at the elevator. "You ok?" "What does that girl have that I don't have?" "Nothing. Sam is just being stupid." "You have to stay that because you're my sister." "Do you want me to bring Moe out here. She will say the same thing." "No." "Do you want to go back to the apartment." "No. I already texted Julie. She said that I could crash there for the night." "Ok. Text me when you get there" Heather said giving Nikki a hug before heading back to the apartment.  
Heather walked back to the apartment to see that the other girl was still there. "You need to leave" Heather said putting Nikki's dinner in the fridge. "I think that is up to Sammy not you" the girl said turning to look at Sam. "Sammy?" Sam looked up from her dinner to see Morgan and Heather glaring at her and the other girl just staring at him. "I think you should go" Sam said. The other girl kissed Sam's cheek before heading to Sam's room. Morgan pretended to gag. "You're an idiot" Heather said sitting down.

A couple of days later  
Heather smiled watching the team practice at Rio Tinto stadium before their game against Utah. "I surprised that you aren't jumping around over the fact that you can't practice" Alyssa said stretching next to her. "Believe me if it was any other game that I was missing I would be throwing a fit. I actually don't mind missing this game." "You always played tougher when we play Utah want to tell me why." "So what are you and Becky doing while we are in town?" Alyssa started to laugh. "Nice change of topic but I think I might just head over to her apartment after training and then we might just hang out there till I have to head back to the hotel for room check." "Well tell Becky that I say hi." Alyssa just smiled.

That night  
Nikki, Morgan and Heather were watching a movie in Morgan and Heather's hotel room before room check. Nikki was trying to spend as much time away from Sam as possible since they were rooming together like they always did on away games. "Please tell me how we think that tomorrow is going to go with you and Sam not talking and you play behind her and we play off the chemistry between the two of you" Morgan said. "Look we can act professional. The game will be fine" Nikki said. Morgan and Heather just looked at each other.

Utah vs Chicago  
"I really can't just stay here instead of going up to one of the boxes." "I don't need you trying to sneak into the game when you get bored. Now go the game is about to start" Rory said. Heather sighed giving up and headed up to one of the boxes. She hated been injured.  
Heather smiled when she was allowed back on the field after the game. Morgan jumped into her arms when she saw her. "Not bad for me not having your back" Heather said with a smile. "I always play better when I know that you are playing behind me. Do you think that they will ever get back to normal" Morgan asked nodding towards Nikki and Sam. Nikki was back to avoiding Sam now that the game was over. "I hope so because I really don't want to have to move."


	2. Author's note

Hey guys I'm currently working on Chapter 2. It should hopefully be up on Thursday. I plan on posting a new chapter every Thursday :).


	3. Chapter 2

Heather walked out into the kitchen to see that Nikki was making breakfast. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister" Heather asked coming to sit at the counter. "You act like I never cook." "You don't. It's normally Sam or me. So what's going on" Morgan asked sitting next to Heather. "Well I figured that I would do something nice since I won't be here for dinner tonight." "Where are you going?" "I have a date tonight." "Did you finally tell Sam that you have feelings for her." "No. I actually have a date with a guy." Heather spit out her apple juice. "Heather!" "I'm sorry but I thought that you said that you had a date with a guy." "I did and I do. I've dated guys before." "Not since high school." "Well I have a date tonight. Enjoy your breakfast" Nikki said before heading to her room. Heather's head hit the counter. "This isn't going to end well is it" Morgan asked. Heather just shook her head.

That night  
Heather, Sam and Morgan were watching tv when there was a knock on their apartment. "Heather can you get it" Nikki called from her bedroom. Heather groaned as she got off the couch and opened the apartment door to see a guy standing there. "Hi I'm Travis. I'm here to pick up Nikki for our date." Heather really wanted to slam the door in his face but she didn't want to deal with Nikki yelling at her. "Come in. I'll go check to see if she is almost ready" Heather said heading to Nikki's room.

In the living room  
Travis stared at Morgan and Sam. "So are you all soccer players" Travis asked walking closer to Morgan and Sam. "Yeah" Morgan said making sure to keep an eye on Sam. She knew that Sam had feelings for Nikki. They were both just too stupid to admit it to each other. Morgan hoped that Heather was going to be able to talk some sense into Nikki so that she didn't go out with this guy. "If I had known that Nikki was rooming with such amazing soccer players I would have been here sooner." "So what you don't think that Nikki is an amazing soccer player" Sam asked getting up from the couch. Morgan got up with her. "No. She is a second rate soccer player." Before Morgan could do anything about it Sam had Travis against the wall. "Sam!"

In Nikki's room  
Heather walked into Nikki's room to see that she was finishing up her make up. "Was that Travis?" Heather nodded sitting on Nikki's bed. Nikki turned to look at her. "What?" "Don't go out with him. I don't like him." "Why not?" "He reminds me of the guys that you use to date in high school who only went out with you because you were blonde and a soccer player." "He's…" "Sam!" Heather and Nikki looked at each other before running out of the room.  
They saw Sam holding Travis against the wall and Morgan was trying to pull Sam off of him. Heather ran over to Morgan and helped her get Sam back to the couch. Once they got her down on the couch Morgan sat on her and Heather sat on Morgan. "What is going on" Nikki asked. "You're roommate is crazy." "He called you a second rate soccer player!" Heather watched her sister freeze. She knew that her and Nikki had both been struggling with being coaches second choices for their positions before they were traded to Chicago. "You need to get out" Nikki said turning to glare at Travis. "What?" "Get out" Nikki said pushing Travis out of the apartment. Once he was gone Nikki leaned her head against the door. "Nikki?" "I'm so sick of being second choice. I've been second choice for midfield. Now I'm second choice in relationships." Sam pushed Morgan and Heather off of her and walked over to Nikki. "You aren't second choice in relationships." Nikki quickly turned to glare at her. "I'm not because I am with you! I love you and you can't see that!" Everyone froze. "Nikki?" Nikki pushed passed Sam and ran back to her room. "Sam?" Sam just walked out of the apartment. "So training tomorrow is going to be fun" Morgan said. Heather just sighed.

At training  
Heather and Morgan were stretching when Rory came over to them. "Where are the other two?" "Well Nikki is sick and I don't know where Sam is" Heather said. Nikki wasn't actually sick. When Heather went to check on her this morning she said that she wasn't ready to see Sam yet and that she was going to miss training even if it meant that she didn't start against Carolina. "Well tell Nikki that as long as she's feeling better by the game she can still start" Rory said before walking away. Just then Sam walked over to Heather and Morgan. "Hey where were you last night" Morgan asked. "I stayed with Lyssa last night. Where's Nikki?" "She's back at the apartment. She didn't want to come to practice right now. By the way thanks for the bruised hip." Sam just smiled. "Yeah sorry about that. How can I make it up to the two of you?" Before Heather could say anything Morgan blurted out "Macarons!" Sam just smiled. "You got it. After training we can go get macarons."  
Sam, Morgan and Heather walked into the bakery. "Hey guys. Do you want your usual" the baker asked with a smile. "Yeah. Can we get Nikki's usual as well" Heather asked with a smile. "You got it." The girls found a table to sit at as they waited for their macarons. "I have a question for you Heather" Sam asked. "Ok what is it?" "Did Nikki mean what she said last night?" Heather sighed. "Yes. I love my sister. Me and her are both very careful about relationships because we are use to being second choices. So if you are thinking of starting a relationship with my sister which I think you are. I'm going to give you some advice. Go slow with her. Prove that she is your number one" Heather said with a smile. "So should I give that advice to someone" Morgan said. "Who?" "No one and you be quiet" Heather said throwing a napkin at Morgan.

Next morning  
Morgan and Heather walked into the kitchen to see that Sam had a whole big breakfast made. "Oh pancakes" Morgan said as her and Heather reached for them. Sam slapped both of their hands away. "Ow!" "Those aren't for either of you. I made smoothies for you two." "Who are they for then?" Just then Nikki came out of her room. "Good morning. Something smells good." "I made you pancakes." Nikki just smiled. "Do you think that they are back to normal" Morgan whispered. "I hope so."

Chicago vs North Carolina   
Heather smiled seeing all of their fans came out to the home game. "You ready to do this" Morgan said. Heather smiled as they did their handshake.  
Heather went down hard on her knee after a hard challenge from Sam Mewis. Morgan was the first one over to her as Sam was keeping Nikki back. "You ok?" Heather just shook her head. Morgan called medical over. Medical moved Heather's knee around. "Can you still play?" "Yeah I think so" Heather said walking over to the 4th official. Once she got the ok to go back on the field she called for the ball. She then passed the ball to Morgan. The second the ball left her foot she fell back to the ground in more pain then she ever felt before. She felt tears come to her eyes as Morgan, Nikki, Sam and medical ran over to her. "You're going to be ok baby sister" Nikki said moving Heather's hair out of her eyes. "We're going to take her to the hospital" medical said carefully loading Heather onto a stretcher. "You ok to still play" Julie asked Nikki. "We're winning this game for Heather."  
Nikki, Sam and Morgan ran into Heather hospital room to see that Heather's knee in a brace. "They said that I'm out till play offs" Heather said with tears in her eyes.

The next morning  
Heather was smiling as she was looking through Instagram. Her friends were posting pictures of her and them with encouraging words after they found out that she tore her ACL. She stopped when she cam to Tobin's post. It was a picture of her and Tobin in their UNC jerseys. The caption said: This girl is amazing. She is one of the best defensive mids that has ever played. I miss having her watching my back. Everyone better watch out when she is back on the field for playoffs. #StantonHeath. Heather threw her phone at her and Morgan's bedroom door. Nikki came in and picked it up. "You ok" she asked sitting next to her. "I'm just ready to go to Houston." Heather and Morgan were going to Texas to visit Kristie and Rachel since the doctor said that Heather was cleared to fly after surgery and Chicago also had a bi week. "Well I think you getting out of the apartment is a good idea" Nikki said giving Heather a hug. "Just don't kill Sam while Morgan and me are gone." "No promises."


	4. Author's note

Hey guys so I know chapter 3 was suppose to be up yesterday but school has been crazy this week so I wasn't able to type chapter 3 so next week I will hopefully have both chapter 3 and chapter 4 up for you guys :)


	5. Chapter 3

Heather smiled as Morgan pushed Heather through the airport in a wheel chair towards Kristie and Rachel. Kristie got to them first. "How are you feeling? By the way Sammy says that she's sorry" Kristie said giving Heather a hug as Rachel gave Morgan a hug. "I'm doing ok. Tell Sammy that its not her fault." "Let's get you guys back to the apartment. Morgan hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch since Heather will be sleeping in Kristie's old room" Rachel said as they headed towards Rachel's jeep. "That's fine. We're still going to your game against Portland?" "Yeah. Did you guys pack your old Dash jerseys?" "Yeah but I think Morgan would rather be wearing a Portland jersey" Heather said with a smile. "You're lucky you're hurt or I could say the same thing about you" Morgan said as her and Rachel carefully helped Heather into the jeep.  
That night Rachel, Kristie, Morgan and Heather were watching a movie. Heather started falling asleep. "How has she been really" Kristie asked. "You know Heather. She is strong and confident on the field but off she is a completely different person. With her being out till play offs she feels like she let the team down." "Well we just have to make her forget about that."

Back in Chicago  
Nikki was unlocking her apartment door. She was happy to hear that Morgan and her sister had made it to Houston alright. She knew that spending some time away from Chicago would be good for her sister. She knew how Heather was when she was injured. Nikki was surprised to see that the lights were off in the apartment and that there were rose petals on the floor. "Sam" she called out. "Hey" Sam said coming out of her room in a nice dress shirt and a pair of dress pants. "What's all this?" "Well I figured that since we have the apartment to ourselves we could have a nice dinner just the two of us." Nikki just smiled.

Houston vs Portland  
Heather smiled as her and Morgan sat behind the Houston bench in their old Dash jerseys. "James wants to take a picture of all of us after the game" Rachel said. "You got it. You guys just have to win" Heather said with a smile. "We'll try."  
At half time Morgan stood up. "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" "Just a coke." "Ok I'll be right back."  
Heather was messing around on her phone when she heard someone clearing her throat. Heather looked up to see Lindsey and Emily. "Hey guys." she said with a smile. "How you feeling" Emily asked. "I've been better. I wish I could be playing though." "In a white jersey right?" "No. I'd be wearing orange." Just then Morgan came back. "Hey guys" Morgan said handing Heather her coke. "Not you too Moe." "Have the two of you forgotten that Kling also played for the Dash."  
Heather smiled at the picture that Kristie posted. It was of her, Moe, Kristie and Rachel all in their Dash jerseys. "We're going to get changed then we can head to dinner." Rachel and Kristie headed to the locker room. "Heads up we have company" Morgan said. Heather turned to see Tobin and Meghan coming over to them. "I've got your back." Heather smiled. "That's normally my line." Just then Tobin and Meghan made it over to them. "Good game guys" Morgan said. "Thanks. Stanton why is it every time we see you you're hurt" Meghan said. Tobin shoved Meghan a little. "Stop. How are you feeling?" "I'm good. Feeling clearer every day. I can't wait to be back on the field playing for the Red Stars." Morgan knew that was Heather's interview answer. Heather was trying to protect herself. "So it was nice seeing you guys again but I think Daly and Mewis are waiting for us" Morgan said moving behind the wheel chair getting ready to move Heather if she needed too. "Actually we we're wondering if you wanted to get lunch with us tomorrow before we head back to Portland and you guys head back to Chicago." Heather looked at Morgan. She knew that Morgan wanted to hang out with Kling but she also wanted to protect Heather. She smiled. Morgan really was a great best friend. "Sure. We can get lunch tomorrow."

That night  
Heather was laying on Kristie's bed when Nikki Facetimed her. "Hey little sister" Nikki said with a smile. "Hey. So me and Morgan leave for a few days and you're all happy. Maybe Moe and me need to be traded back to the Dash" Heather said jokingly. "Not funny. Neither of you are allowed to leave Chicago. I'm glad that you are having a good time in Houston but I'm ready for you guys to be back." "So why are you all smiley if it's not because Moe and me are gone." "Something happened with Sam while you and Moe have been gone." "What!" Heather sat up quickly. "Ow." Morgan came running into the room. "You ok?" "Something happened with Sam and Nikki." "What!" "Come site." Morgan carefully moved to the other side of the bed. "Ok so what happened with Sam." "Well the first night you guys were gone she laid rose petals on the floor from the doorway to the dinning room table and had a romantic dinner planned for the two of us." "Aw!"

The next day  
Heather sighed as Morgan fixed her hair again. "How long has she been doing that" Rachel asked. "15 minutes" Kristie said with a smile. "To be fair to Moe you use to do the same thing when you were trying to impress Rach" Heather said with a smile. Rachel smirked and Kristie blushed. "Ok. I'm ready. Let's go" Morgan said once her hair was in a bun. "Be careful guys" Kristie called out as Heather and Morgan left the apartment.  
"So what did you want to talk about" Heather asked as Morgan handed her an ice coffee. "I was actually hoping I could talk to you just the two of us" Tobin asked. "Yeah that's not going to happen" Morgan said. Heather sighed. "It's fine Moe. You and Kling won't be that far away. If I need you I'll let you know." Morgan glared at Tobin as her and Meghan moved a couple of tables down. "So what's up?" "I think you should ask to be traded to Portland." Heather couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding. Why would I do that?" "Because I'm in Portland and I can protect you." "Don't try and blame this on Moe! Even if I did get traded to Portland I wouldn't play because Elle is Mark's first choice of defensive mid. You tried to protect me once when we played on the same team and guess what you are the one who hurt me the most!" Just then Morgan cam back over. "This was a mistake. I'm ready to head back to the apartment." Morgan just nodded as she wheeled Heather out of the café. "Well that didn't end well" Meghan said.

With Morgan and Meghan  
Morgan kept looking back at where Tobin and Heather were. "They're fine Moe relax" Meghan said. "I can't. Do you know what happened between them?" "Of course. I went to UNC with them and Ashlyn." "Then you should know that Heather is not ready to trust Tobin yet." Just then Morgan heard Heather getting loud. "Ok. They're done talking" Morgan said walking over to Heather and Tobin.

That night in Tobin's hotel room  
"Please tell me you didn't try to pull the protection car" Ashlyn asked over Facetime. "Why is that a bad thing. She tore her ACL." "Do you remember when she broke her ankle sophomore year and she didn't play for half the year." "Yeah we almost didn't make playoffs that year. I made sure that she was taken care of." "Yeah until we played Stanford and you met Press." "What does Christen have to do with me and Heather." "The second you looked away she stopped needing you to protect her." Tobin sighed. "So what do I do to fix it?" "Let her know that you won't and don't want to look away." "Thanks Ash. I have to make another call. Tell Ali that I said hi." "Bye Tobs" Ashlyn said before hanging up. Tobin made another phone call. "Linds I need a favor from you and Sonnett."


	6. Chapter 4

"Nikki you guys have to go" Heather said trying to push her sister away. "I don't like that we have to leave you by yourself for two weeks injured." Chicago was going on a two week road trip. First Sky Blue then Orlando. "Nikki I'm going to be fine. The doctor said that I can start using the crutches instead of using the wheelchair plus the Red Stars are already down one Stanton they don't need to be down you too." "She's got you there Nik" Sam said. "Fine but I'll call you when we land in New Jersey" Nikki said letting Heather go. "I'm perfectly fine with that" Heather said hugging Sam then Morgan before the 3 of them headed to the airport.  
Heather was about to watch a movie when there was a knock on the apartment door. She was confused as to who would be knocking because all of her teammates were on their way to New Jersey and she hadn't ordered dinner yet. Heather grabbed her crutches and opened the door to see Lindsey and Emily. "What are you doing here?" "You are coming on a two week vacation with us" Lindsey said as her and Emily came into the apartment. "Where's your room" Emily asked. "Moe and my room is right there. Wait what do you mean I'm going with you two. Don't you have games coming up" Heather asked. "Yes which you are coming too and you will fly back home with your team after their Orlando game" Lindsey said as Emily headed into Heather's room. "So my sister set this up?" "Not exactly" Emily called. Heather sighed. "This was Heath's idea. Now I'm really not going" Heather said moving back to the couch. "Look she told us what happened last time the two of you were together and we'll make sure that you aren't alone with her unless you want to be plus it will be fun to hang out with you" Emily said coming out of Heather and Morgan's room with Heather suitcase. "Fine. I guess a two week vacation doesn't sound all that bad" Heather said with a smile.

The next day  
Heather thought it was weird that she was at Providence Park watching a Thorns training session. "Do you want a chair" Mark, the Thorns coach, asked. "Actually yeah if you don't mind?" Mark had one of the other coaches bring over a chair for Heather. She sat down and laid her crutches on the grass. "Are you really out till play offs?" "I would like to be back sooner but I also don't want to push it." "Well hopefully we don't play you in the play offs. You are one of the best defensive mids" Mark said with a smile. "Trying to replace me Mark" Elle asked as the came out onto the field. "Don't worry Elle you're position is safe. I'm not leaving Chicago plus if I did leave Morgan would be coming with me." "Ok ladies let's get practice started" Mark called.  
As practice went on Heather's knee started to get sore. She started to rub it through the brace. "You're knee acting up" one of the trainers asked. "Yeah its just getting a little sore." "Why don't you come back to the trainers room and we can put ice on it. I think they are almost done with training anyway." Heather just nodded as the trainer helped Heather to the locker room.  
Heather had just send a Snapchat to Morgan, Nikki, Sam and Alyssa when Lindsey and Emily came in. "How you doing" Emily asked climbing onto the trainer's bench with Heather. "I'm good. The trainer said I could go in a couple of minutes. You guys nervous about the game." "No its Utah we got this. Any tips" Lindsey asked. "Did you forget that I was out for our Utah game. I'm ready to go get food now and I'm sure you guys are too" Heather said carefully getting off the trainer's bench.

That night  
Lindsey, Emily and Heather were watching the Sky Blue vs Chicago game when there was a knock on the apartment door. They all looked at each other. "Are you really going to make the cripple answer the door?" "She has a point Linds" Emily said pushing Lindsey off of her. Lindsey just grumbled as she answered the door. "Tobin what are you doing here?" "I figured I could watch the game with you guys plus I brought dinner" Tobin said holding up take out bags. Lindsey turned to look at Heather. "It's your guys apartment." "I guess you can stay" Lindsey said moving to let Tobin in. Emily moved so that she was sitting closer to Heather. Heather just squeezed Emily's hand letting her know that she knew what she was doing.  
After the game the girls turned to see that Heather had fallen asleep. "That can't be comfortable" Emily said. "Where is she staying" Tobin asked standing up. "The guest room why" Lindsey asked. "I'm going to take her to the bedroom so that she is more comfortable" Tobin said carefully picking Heather up and carried Heather to the guestroom.  
Tobin carefully laid Heather down on the bed and covered her up. She smiled when Heather curled under the covers. She kissed her forehead before heading out of the bedroom.  
"So what exactly happened between the two of you" Emily asked when Tobin came back into the living room. "So you guys know that we both went to UNC." Emily and Lindsey just nodded. "Well sophomore year Heather got injured and I looked away when I shouldn't have and now I'm trying to prove to her that I don't want to look away. The best advice that I can give the two of you is that if you care about someone don't look away because you don't know what could happen if you do. I'll see you guys tomorrow at the game" Tobin said before leaving the apartment. Lindsey and Emily just looked at each other.

Portland vs Utah  
Heather smiled as she watched the teams warm up on the sidelines. One of the trainers was going to help her to her seat when the game started. "Heather!" Heather turned to see Becky, Amy, Christen and Kelley running towards her but they slowed down when they got closer and they all hugged her. "What are you doing here" Becky asked. "I was kidnapped by Lindsey and Sonnett but I mean a two week vacation doesn't sound too bad" Heather said with a smile. Christen went to find Tobin.  
"So Horan and Sonnett kidnapped Heather" Christen asked Tobin with a smile. "Yeah. You know how those two are. When they get an idea in their heads there's no stopping them." "So you had no input at all." Tobin sighed. "Look I just want to prove to her that I can protect her again."  
Heather sent a snap of Becky to Alyssa saying : Your girl is scary when she is mad. Heather figured that she would be getting a response soon since Chicago had their game last night which means it was a recovery day. She sent a picture of Kling to Morgan, a picture of herself to Sam and Nikki and a picture of Kelley to Carli.  
It was half time when Heather felt the need to stretch her knee. "How are you feeling" one of the Portland trainers asked. "Is it ok if I walk around the field with my crutches." "Yeah just be careful."  
Tobin walked out onto the field to see Heather laying down at half field. "She said that she just wanted to stretch then she decided to lay down" one of the trainers said. "I'll get her" Tobin said with a smile while walking over to Heather. "You plan getting up anytime soon?" "Nope. You guys are just going to have to play the second half around me." Tobin sat down next to her. "You doing ok?" "I miss it." "You'll be back and stronger then ever." "How do you know that?" "Because you did it once before when you broke your ankle. Now come on we have to get you back to your seat so we can start playing again" Tobin said carefully helping Heather up.  
Heather smiled as Emily scored a goal off a pass from Lindsey. She smiled as Emily jumped into Lindsey's arms. She wondered when they would get their acts together and be with each other.  
Heather smiled as she waited for the Thorns to come out of the locker room. "I would jump on you but I might get yelled as by Lindsey and Tobin" Emily said giving Heather a hug. "Yeah that might not be a good idea" Heather said returning the hug.


	7. Chapter 5

"Do you think that Mark will let us go to Disney" Emily asked. "Sonnett we are here for a game not to have fun" Meghan said. "Disney doesn’t sound to bad plus you guys don't have training till 2 days form now" Heather said. "See Heather is on my side and she wants to go to Disney too." "Heather can't walk all around Disney" Tobin said. "We could get her a wheelchair" Lindsey said. "Yes! We could do that. We could also see if Alex, Ashlyn and Ali want to come?" Tobin sighed. "I'll see if Mark can get us tickets for the day" she said going to find their coach.

The next day  
Heather smiled as Emily ran through the gates at Magic Kingdom pulling Lindsey with her. "Are we sure that they are adults" Ashlyn said. "They just want to have fun before all head to the World Cup" Ali said. "Yeah that's going to suck staying in Chicago watching it." "I'm sorry Heather" Alex said. "It's fine. I'll have Nikki and Kristie but for right now let's just have fun."  
Tobin smiled watching Heather's eyes light up as they walked pass the Festival of the Lion King show. "Hey guys we'll catch up with you guys after the show" Tobin called to Emily, Lindsey, Alex, Ashlyn, Ali and Meghan as her and Heather got in line for the show. "Tobin we don't have to do this." "You love the Lion King plus I could use a chance to cool off" Tobin said with a smile pushing Heather into the show.  
"I think Heather should have went to Penn State since she has a thing for lions" Ali said as Heather, Emily, Lindsey and Meghan looked around the gift shop. "No. Simba is really the only lion that she has a interest in. She's a Tarheel at heart" Tobin said with a smile. "I remember all the times we use to watch the Lion King back in the dorm. After a bad practice, bad game, bad test or when Heather just wasn't feeling well" Ashlyn said. Tobin just shrugged.

That night  
Heather smiled as she got comfy in Ashlyn and Ali's guest room. She was going to be staying with them till they played Chicago and she flew back home with them. "You doing ok" Ali asked coming in. "Yeah. Thanks for letting me crash here." "Of course. I know Ash would rather you be here and comfortable then alone in a hotel, but I can tell that something else was going on in your brain." Heather smiled. "How did you know that you were going to be able to come back after you tore your ACL?" Ali carefully sat on the bed next to Heather. "Have you asked Kristie that same question?" "I love Kristie with all my heart but she is more offensive then defensive." "I was worried about being fast enough again when I came back. I also had an amazing support system who were there for me whenever I needed them and so do you." Heather gave Ali a hug. "Everything ok?" Ashlyn asked peaking in. "Yeah. We're all good" Heather said with a smile.

The next morning  
Heather smiled as she slipped on her old UNC jersey before walking out into the kitchen. Logan carefully came over to Heather's crutches and sniffed them. "It's ok Logan" Heather said patting Logan's head with a smile. "Nice jersey" Ashlyn said with a smile. "I figured this way I can't get yelled at by either team but when you guys play the Red Stars I will be wearing my jersey" Heather said sitting at the counter and Ashlyn headed her a cup of coffee. "Ugh. I can't believe that I'm letting a Tarheel stay in my house" Ali said coming into the kitchen. "Have you forgotten that you're marrying a Tarheel." "Good point" Ali said giving Ashlyn a kiss.

Portland vs Orlando  
Heather was watching both teams warm up when she felt a gentle tug on her shirt. She looked down to see a little girl smiling at her wearing a Sam Kerr Australia jersey. "Hey there" Heather said with a smile. "You're Heather Stanton." "Lizzy don't bother her" the little girl's mother said. "She's fine." "Do you really get to play with your sister, Sam Kerr, Morgan Brian, Alyssa and Julie?" "I do. Did you know that they are going to be playing here next week." Lizzy nodded. "Are you coming to the game?" Lizzy looked at her mom who smiled and nodded. "We'll be in the same seats next week." Heather smiled. "Well how about next week after the game I bring them over here and we can all sign something for you." Lizzy gave her a hug. "Do you want to send them a picture" Heather said pulling out her phone. Lizzy smiled as Heather took a Snapchat of them. She sent it to Sam, Nikki, Morgan, Alyssa and Julie with the caption: Just met Sam's number 1 fan. Sorry Nikki. "Thank you" Lizzy's mom said. "Don't worry about it. Every fan is important."  
The game ended in Portland winning 2-1. She could tell that Ashlyn, Ali and Alex felt defeated even though they played real well and tonight just wasn't their night. "You guys did so goo" Heather said giving them each a hug. "It's fine. We'll do better next week against Chicago" Ashlyn said with a smile. "Yeah that's not going to happen Ash. Chicago is going to win before everyone heads off to the World Cup." "Are we going to have to kidnap you and bring you to France with us" Emily asked as her, Lindsey and Tobin came over to them. "I don't think my pt, coach or sister would like that" Heather said with a smile. "Are you guys doing anything before heading back to the hotel" Alex asked. "We were actually going to get dinner and wanted to know if you 4 wanted to come with" Lindsey asked. "My knee is actually starting to get sore. I was actually kind of hoping we could go back to the house" Heather said looking at Ashlyn and Ali. "That actually doesn't sound to bad. Maybe next time" Ali said with a smile.

Back at the apartment  
Heather was messing around on her phone trying to relax. She had the Lion King loaded on the tv but she also didn't want to wake up Ali and Ashlyn. She decided to see if Tobin was still awake.  
Heather: Hey are you still awake  
Tobin: Yeah. Everything ok?  
Heather: I can't sleep  
Tobin: Is your knee bothering you  
Heather: No  
Tobin: Is there anything I can do to help?  
Heather: Watch Lion King with me  
Just then her phone started to ring letting her know that Tobin was Facetiming her. She opened it to see Tobin and Kling. "Do you have the movie ready" Tobin asked. "Yeah it's already" Heather said. "Do I really have to watch it too" Kling asked. "You can go crash in someone else's room." "Yeah no I'm good."  
Ashlyn walked into the guestroom to check on Heather. She opened the door to see the end credits of Lion King and Heather was asleep. She turned the tv off and went to turn the light off when she saw that Heather's phone was on her chest. She grabbed it to see that Facetime was still open. "Hey Tobs." "Hey did she fall asleep?" "Yeah and I think you should too. Night Tobs." "Night Ash."

The next morning  
Ashlyn, Ali, Heather and Logan were sitting on the couch when there was a knock on their front door. "I got it" Ashlyn said walking to the front door. "Hey wait!" All of a sudden Morgan came running into the living room and jumping on Heather. "Moe you know that she is still injured" Ali said. "Leave me alone. I haven't seen Heather in 2 weeks and we leave for the World Cup soon" Moe said clinging to Heather.

Chicago vs Orlando  
"Do I actually get to sit on the bench for this game" Heather asked. "Yes but you have to stay seated the whole time" Rory said. "You got it coach" Heather said before heading over to the bench. Her phone dinged letting her know that she had a Snapchat. She smiled when she saw that it was from Tobin. She opened it to see Tobin in her UNC jersey. The caption said: No you are Ash can't yell at me. Heather just smiled. "What are you smiling at" Morgan asked coming over to her. Heather turned the phone so Morgan could see the picture of Tobin. "So are you and Heath ok now?" "Yeah so that means that you can start making moves on Kling." "Hey look the game is about to start. We'll talk later" Morgan said running onto the field. "We're not done talking about this" Heather called after her.  
Heather was about to turn towards the field when she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see Lizzy with her mom. "Hey" Heather said walking over to them with one of the trainers. "Can I meet them now." "Lizzy!" Heather smiled. "She's fine. Is it ok if she come down on the field with me." Lizzy's mom looked at Heather. "She'll be with you the whole time?" "The whole time and then I'll bring her back." "Ok. Lizzy you stay close to Heather." Lizzy nodded as the trainer put her down next to Heather.  
Heather and Lizzy found Alyssa, Julie, Tierna, Sam, Morgan and Nikki all huddled together. "You ready to go say hi." Lizzy nodded slowly. "You ok?" "I'm just a little scared." Heather smiled and nodded to Nikki who broke from the group and knelt in front of Lizzy. "Hi. You must be Lizzy" Nikki said with a smile. Lizzy nodded. "Can I have a hug" Nikki asked opening her arms. Lizzy looked at Heather and she nodded. Lizzy smiled and gave Nikki a hug. "You ready to go say hi to everyone else?" "Heather is going to come to right?" "Of course."


	8. Chapter 6

A month later   
"I'm not wearing that" Heather said as her, Nikki and Kristie were getting ready to surprise Sam at the Australia vs Brazil game in their hotel room in France. "Why not. You said that you wanted to support Sam" Nikki said. "I do but I'll do it wearing her Red Stars one and you can wear her Australia one." "Fine." Nikki turned to look at Kristie. "Don't look at me like that. You are not getting me in a Australia jersey or a Chicago jersey." "Can we please just go to the game now."

Australia vs Brazil  
Heather sighed as the two teams went to the locker room. "Relax Nik. Their fine. They can come back in the second half." "Yeah I mean Kerr is good." Nikki and Heather turned to look at Kristie. "What? I can admit that she is good but if Australia and England met I'm cheering for Rachel."  
As the second half went on the girls could tell that the guy behind them was drunk and not a fan of Australia. He was saying things that really shouldn't be said. Nikki kept turning around and glaring at him. "Nikki you need to ignore him" Heather said turning her sister back around. "I need to say something to him." "No you don't" Heather said putting her hand over her sister's mouth. All of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her hand. "Ow! Did you just bite me" Heather said pulling her hand away from Nikki's mouth. "Ok children can we please just watch the game" Kristie said moving between the two sisters.  
After the game Heather smiled as she called Sam over. Nikki was hiding behind Kristie. "What are you doing here? You're walking around on your own" Sam said hugging Heather. "Yeah the doctor cleared me to start training after the World Cup." "Where's Nik?" "Wow Kerr not happy to see just us plus I think that the older Stanton might be too busy in Chicago" Kristie said with a smirk. Nikki gave her s shove in the back before coming around from behind her. "She's lying. You did a great job" Nikki said giving Sam a hug and a kiss. "Be careful Sam she has sharp teeth." "Yeah I know" Sam said wiggling her eyebrows and Nikki just blushed. "Ew! Lalala" Heather said covering her ears. "Ok children I'm taking this one. Kerr good game and please don't break Nikki" Kristie said pulling Heather out of the stadium.  
"Ok I'm going to head to the USA hotel I'm guessing that you are going to catch up with Rachel" Heather asked Kristie. "Yeah. I'll tell Rach that you said hi" Kristie said giving Heather a hug before heading to the England hotel.

The USA hotel  
Heather smiled as she walked up behind Morgan who was glaring at her phone. Emily and Lindsey were the ones to see her. Heather held a finger up to her lips to let them know not to say anything to Morgan yet. "Moe you know that you have been staring at that phone a little too hard" Lindsey said with a smile. "Shut up Horan not everyone gets to spend this tournament with their best friend." "Maybe Heather is just busy and hasn't had time to check her phone." "I don't think so. Heather had her last doctor appointment yesterday. She was supposed to text me yesterday to let me know when she could start training again. Nikki isn't answering me either" Morgan said with a sigh. Heather smiled as she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Morgan. "Finally! Wait turn around" Morgan said before turning around to see Heather standing behind her. "Heather!" she said before running over to her and picked her up and spinning her around. "Wow Moe I didn't think that you would miss me that much" Heather said returning the hug. "What are you doing here?" "Rory said since I can't play till after the World Cup I could come to France until you guys get knocked out. Nikki and Kristie are here too. I figured that we could all go to dinner together as long as you guys don't have team dinner?"

That night  
Nikki, Sam, Kristie, Rachel, Alyssa, Becky, Carlie, Kelley, Ashlyn, Ali, Emily, Lindsey, Tobin, Heather and Morgan were all eating dinner. "Is that a hickey on your neck Nik" Kelley said with a smirk. Nikki slapped a hand over her neck with a blush. "Please say no because I already need to bleach my mind. I don't need to go blind too" Heather said rubbing her temples. "Oh come on baby Stanton. Its not like you were innocent in college. Did you forget that we shared a dorm for 3 years" Ashlyn said with a smirk. "Say one word about me in college and I will tell Ali all about college Harris." "Ok changing topics, Heather are you going to come to training tomorrow" Alyssa asked. "Yeah. Dawn said that she has some light foot work I could do while you guys are training. It will feel so good to be back on the field even if its just easy work." "We are actually going to have 3 Tarheels on the field again." "I think that you have forgotten that Heather is a Red Star now." "Maybe we will actually have a smiley Moe back tomorrow now that Heather is here." "Shut up Sonnett" Morgan said throwing a sugar packet at Emily.

The next day  
Heather smiled as she passed the ball between her feet. "Take it easy today. I don't need your coach mad at me because you pushed it to soon" Dawn said. "You got it Dawn" Heather said with a smile.  
"Hey Heather why don't you start taking easy shots on AD, Ash and Alyssa" Jill said. "You got it coach" Heather said kicking the soccer ball over to where the 3 goalies were warming up. "You sure you can do this" Alyssa asked. "Yeah its just easy shots. All 3 of you should be able to stop them without a problem" Heather said with a smile.  
Heather was sitting on the field waiting for Morgan to finish her cool down when Tobin came over to her. "How's your knee feeling" Tobin asked sitting down next to her. "Its good. I mean it feels a little weird since I haven't touched a soccer ball in months but its good to see that it doesn't seem like I have lost a step" Heather said with a smile. "I don't think you could ever lose a step." "Always a charmer Heath." "I try to be." Heather couldn't help but laugh at that.  
Morgan was waiting for any sign that Heather needed her to step in again. "Baby Stanton can handle herself with Heath" Ashlyn said coming up behind Morgan. "Heath has hurt Heather before. I wasn't there that time but I am now. We watch each other's backs on and off the field. Heather you ready to head back to the hotel" Morgan called. They watched Tobin help Heather up before they both walked over to them. When Heather got close enough Morgan pulled Heather away from Tobin and the two of them headed to the bus. "What was that about" Tobin asked Ashlyn. Ashlyn just shook her head. "If you want another chance with Heather you are going to have to go through Morgan" Ashlyn said with a smile. Tobin sighed as she followed Ashlyn to the bus. This was going to be a long battle. She could already feel it.


	9. Chapter 7

Morgan was in the hotel room with Mal when there was a knock on their room. Mal opened the door to Tobin. "Hey Tobs what's up" Mal asked with a smile. "Hey Mal. Can I talk to Morgan for a minute." "Yeah. Let me get her" Mal said walking back into the room. "Hey Moe Tobin wants to talk to you." Morgan sighed. She didn't really want to talk to Tobin but she knew that she had to for Heather. She knew that Heather would do the same thing if Kling was coming to talk to her. Morgan got off her bed and headed out into the hall.  
"What did you want to talk about" Morgan asked shutting the door behind her. "Do you mind if we take a walk while we talk" Tobin asked. Morgan sighed. "Fine."  
It was quiet between Morgan and Tobin for a while. "So are we going to actually talk or we just going to walk around the hotel in silence" Morgan asked. Tobin sighed. "I know that Heather told you about what happened between us before." "Are we just going to keep restating facts or are we going to talk about something new." "Look I know that you watch Heather's back on and off the field and that's great but I'm not going to hurt Heather again." "Really? Let's test that. If you got to chose between playing in Utah with Christen or playing in Chicago with Heather, who would you chose?" Tobin froze. "That's what I thought. I'm not going to let you anywhere near Heather alone till you can answer that and mean it" Morgan said before heading back to her room. Tobin leaned back against the wall. This was going to be a long battle. She was going to need help and she knew who to go to.

In Alex and Kelley's room  
"You're in a real mess Tobs" Alex said as Tobin laid down beside her. "I know and I have no clue how to fix it" Tobin mumbled into the pillow. "Morgan was smart to make you chose between Chris and Heather" Kelley said. "Kelley!" "What? I mean come on. Morgan knows that Heather got hurt last time so she wanted to see if you would make the same choice again." "What am I suppose to do? I can't choose and Morgan said that she won't let me around Heather till I do." "Well who do you trust to have your back if something happens on the field and Kelley, Ash and I aren't there?" Tobin lifted her head from the pillow and looked at Alex. "What do you mean?" "Don't get me wrong. I love Chris but I've also seen film of your guys games at UNC and personal I never waited to be on the field if you got hurt and Heather was on the field." "Yeah baby Stanton is scary when someone she cares about gets hurt."

A couple of days later  
Heather hugged Nikki and Sam at the airport. Australia just got knocked out of the World Cup. They were heading back to Chicago. "I'm sorry Sam" Heather said. "Don't worry about it. I can't believe that I'm saying this but if we can't win the World Cup I hope that the USA does" Sam said. Heather smiled. "Kristie still staying here" Nikki asked. "Yeah I think she is staying as long as England is here just like I plan on staying as long as the USA is here but right now you guys are needed in Chicago." "Ok. Take care of that knee little sister." "I will big sister."

At the USA practice  
Heather was shock that Morgan slide tackle Tobin. She was even more surprised that she wasn't letting it go. Heather jogged onto the field to get between Morgan and Tobin as Julie, Alyssa and Tierna were trying to pull Morgan away and Alex, Kelley and Ashlyn were trying to pull Tobin away. "Hey Moe calm down. It was a clean tackle. Heath calm down. You guys are teammates remember" Heather said trying to calm both women down. "Tell that to Morgan!" "It's not my fault that you can't make a choice!" "Let's have Heather choose." "What?" "Me or Morgan" Tobin asked looking at Heather. "Tobin" Ashlyn said. "Morgan" Heather mumbled. "What?" "Morgan. I said Morgan" Heather said pulling Morgan off the field. "Tobin you ok" Alex asked. Tobin just nodded.

In Kristie and Heather's hotel room  
"She really asked you to choose" Kristie asked. Heather just nodded. "How do you choose between your best friend and someone who has your heart?" "You did though." "I didn't want too. I love both of them! I've dealt with loosing Tobin already I can't lose Morgan." Kristie hugged her. "You're lucky that Rachel is your best friend and girlfriend." Kristie just laughed and squeezed Heather tighter. What they didn't realize is that someone was listening to them in the hallway.  
Morgan sighed as she knocked on Tobin and Allie's hotel room door. Allie answered. "Can I talk to Tobin?" "Are you going to yell at her again?" "No. I wanted to apologize." Allie sighed. "Let me get her" she said before shutting the door. Morgan leaned against the wall. She was doing this for Heather. She just had to keep telling herself that. Tobin came out into the hallway. "What's up?" "Heather loves you and she is scared that you are going to hurt her again and I'm here to make sure that you don't. Heather and Kristie's room is 179" Morgan said before walking away. Tobin stood confused for a minute before running towards Kristie and Heather's room.  
Tobin knocked on Kristie and Heather's hotel room door. Kristie opened the door a little. "What are you doing here Heath?" "Can I talk to Heather. I need to fix it." "You're right you do. I can't believe that you would make her choose between you and Moe." "Hey Kris, Rach is calling and I can talk to Tobin while you talk to Rach" Heather said coming up behind Kristie. "You sure?" Heather nodded handing Kristie her cell phone before walking out into the hallway. "What's up? Come to make me chose between you and" Tobin cut her off by kissing her.


	10. Chapter 8

Heather and Kristie were sitting in the stands waiting got the England vs USA game to start. "So are we going to talk about what happened the other night?" Heather turned to look at Kristie. "I have no clue what you are talking about." Kristie just looked at her. "What?" "So we're not going to talk about how you came running back into the room all shocked after I left you in the hallway with Heath?" "Hey look the game is starting" Heather said turning to look at the field.  
Heather jumped when Christen scored. "Way to go Press!" Heather turned to see Kristie glaring at her. "What? I love Rachel but I have teammates on the USA team plus Christen needed that" Heather said. "I'll give you that but I still want England to win." "You are a horrible American. I hope you know that" Heather said with a smile.  
Heather froze when Becky drew that penalty. She knew that Becky didn't normally draw penalties. Heather had a feeling that Becky knew hat England was going to get to Alyssa and Becky wasn't going to allow that to happen. "Do you think she's got this" Kristie asked. Heather turned to look at her. "I trust Lyssa. So does everyone on that team" Heather said turning back to the field. After Alyssa saved the penalty Heather was surprised to see Kristie cheering as well. "What? I have to admit that was impressive."  
Heather hugged Rachel after the game. "You did amazing." "Thanks. It still sucks." All of a sudden Heather was pulled into a group hug by Alyssa, Morgan, Julie and Tierna. "You were so good Lyssa" Heather said hugging Alyssa. "Thanks. You're going to come to celebrate with us right" Alyssa asked. Heather turned to look at Kristie and Rachel. "Its fine. Rach and me are just going to watch movies back in the hotel room" Kristie said as her and Rachel hugged Heather before they headed back to the hotel.

Mal and Morgan's room  
Heather was sitting on Morgan's bed as Morgan looked through her closet. "Why can't I wear my own clothes." "Because we are going to a bar to celebrate" Mal said from the bathroom. "I have worn my own clothes to bars in Chicago before." Morgan passed Heather a black crop top and a pair of skinny jeans. "Here now go change" Morgan said pushing Heather into the bathroom once Mal came out.

At the bar  
"You guys do know that you guys have training tomorrow right" Heather said watching her fellow Red Stars enjoying themselves while her and Tierna just drank soda. "Oh come on Heather we're just trying to have fun" Alyssa said. "I'm going to enjoy watching you trying to block shots while Becky glares at you." "You ok Moe" Tierna asked. Heather turned to look at Morgan typing away on her phone. "Moe you ok?" "Yeah…fine. Not… texting… anyone." "Morgan let me see your phone." "Nope!" Morgan said before running away. Heather sighed. "I'm to sober to be dealing with her right now" Heather said before following her.  
Heather found Morgan sitting between a very drunk Sonny and a slightly less drunk Lindsey. "Morgan give me the phone" Heather said stopping in front of them. "No!" "Do you need help?" Heather turned to see Tobin, Alex and Kelley walking towards them. "I have a feeling that she is going to regret whatever she is texting in the morning." Kelley smiled. "Hey Moe can I see your phone for a second so I can check the time" Kelley asked. Morgan handed the phone to Kelley and Kelley handed the phone to Heather. Heather checked the phone to see that Moe had been texting Kling. "Yep time to go Moe" Heather said helping Morgan back to the hotel.

The next morning  
Morgan groaned as the sunlight came in. "Training is going to be fun for you today." Morgan opened her eyes to see Heather holding a glass of water and some Tynol. "Why didn't you try to stop me last night" Morgan asked taking the water and Tynol from her. "I tried. Trust me I tried." "Please tell me that I didn't do anything stupid." "Define stupid." Heather handed Morgan her phone. Morgan saw that she had texted Kling last night.  
Moe: Hey you awake  
Kling: Yeah. Why are you still awake?  
Moe: Celebrating making it to the finals  
Kling: Ok. I'll let you get back to celebrating  
Moe: No!   
Kling: Ok. What do you want to talk about  
Moe: I miss Klingenmoe  
Kling: So do I but you seem to be doing great in Chicago  
Moe: I am but I love you!  
Morgan looked at Heather. "Why didn't you stop me!" "I tried but you wouldn't give me your phone!" Morgan pulled a pillow over her head and screamed.

At USA training  
Heather couldn't help but watch Alyssa trying to stop shots clearly hung over. "Please don't let me get that bad when I can drink" Tierna said walking over to Heather. "No promises when we win the NWSL Championship" Heather said with a smile. "Uh oh here comes Becky." They watched as Becky walked over to Alyssa. They thought that the defender was going to yell at the goalie but instead she just gave her a smile and a water bottle. "What just happened?" "Don't question the relationship between a defender and a goalie." "Kling what are you doing here" Emily said from across the field. Heather and Tierna turned to see Kling walking onto the field. "Hey guys I figured I would come see the final in person" Kling said with a smile. "Moe you ok" Julie asked. Heather turned to see Morgan getting sick in a trash can. Heather didn't know if Morgan was getting sick because of drinking last night or because Kling showed up. "Go check on Moe" Heather said to Tierna. "What are you going to do?" "Watch Moe's back like always" Heather said before walking over to Kling. "Hey baby Stanton glad to see that you are standing on your own" Kling said with a smile. "What are you doing here Kling?" "I told you I wanted to see the final live. Maybe we should go check on Moe" Kling said starting towards Morgan and Tierna but Heather stepped in front of her. "Yeah you're not going anywhere near Morgan till you tell me why you are really here." "Hey Heather Dawn says that it is probably a good idea if you take Morgan back to the hotel" Julie said walking over to them. "Got it" Heather said walking over to Morgan and Tierna.  
"What is she doing here" Morgan asked once her and Heather made it back to the hotel. "I don't know but I'm going to find out" Heather said. "Do you think it was because of the text from last night." Before Heather could say anything there was a knock on the hotel door. Heather opened it to see Kling. "What are you doing here?" "I came to talk to Morgan." "Yeah that's not going to happen." "Its ok Heather. I can talk to her for a few minutes. Why don't you go get coffee for us. That might help with my hang over" Morgan said. "Fine. Just a couple of minutes" Heather said before leaving the hotel room. Once Heather was gone Morgan went back to bed. "What do you want to talk about" Morgan asked. "How much do you remember from last night?" "Not a lot. Just a lot of drinking." "So you don't remember texting me about Klingenmoe." "Even if I did what does it matter! You have a girl back in Portland." "Moe" "Get out" Morgan said turning away from Kling. Kling sighed before leaving the room.

With Heather  
Heather was sitting in the lobby waiting for Kling to be done talking to Morgan with Tobin, Ashlyn, Emily and Lindsey found her. "You ok" Tobin asked wrapping her arms around Heather. "Moe and Kling are talking up in the room." "You don't sound happy about that" Ashlyn said with a smile. "I'm not." "I thought you liked Kling" Emily asked. "I do." "But" Lindsey pushed. "I know what Kling is like and I don't want Morgan getting hurt." "Maybe Kling has changed since college" Tobin said. Heather just stared at Tobin. "What?" "You have changed, Ash has changed and I have changed but I'm not so sure that Kling has." "Glad to see that you have so much faith in me Stanton" Kling said. "Why should I. Don't you have a girl back in Portland" Heather said standing up. "Hey guys take it easy. Tarheels remember" Ashlyn said getting between them. "Sorry Ash but I'm a Red Star now" Heather said before heading up to the room. "What is up with her" Kling asked. "Her and Moe have been watching each others backs for years so I get the protectiveness" Emily said. "Yeah but Heather and I have played together so she should trust me." "Not with Moe" Tobin said. Kling turned to look at her. "Come on Kling. She does have a point. You do have a girl back in Portland." "Yeah but that's not serious." "Then you're going to have to prove that to both of them."


	11. Chapter 9

Heather came back to the room to see Moe cuddling a pillow. Heather climbed into bed next to her. "You ok" Heather asked. "Was it like this for you?" "What are you talking about?" "When you saw Tobin with Christen." Heather sighed. "That's different Moe." "How other then the other girl that Kling is seeing plays on her club team while I play in Chicago." "Do you want to leave Chicago and play in Portland and play with Kling." "I honestly don't know." Heather just hugged her.  
Once Morgan fell asleep Heather sighed. She knew that she had to talk to Kling even though she didn't want too. She now felt like Moe when she was dealing with her and Tobin.  
Heather found Kling, Tobin and Ash in the lobby. "Me and you need to talk." "Are you going to yell at me again." "Are you going to give me attitude." "Do me and Tobs need to play ref" Ash asked. "No we'll be fine." Tobin kissed Heather's forehead and turned to look at Kling. "Behave both of you" she said before her and Ash left. "So what did you want to talk about" Kling asked looking at Heather. "Do you know how hurt she was when you got traded to Portland." "Heather…" "I'm talking you can wait" Heather said glaring at Kling. Kling stopped talking real quick. "She was destroyed even though she knew that it was part of the job. She was ready to ask to be traded to follow you to Portland the next season but then she heard about you dating someone on the Thorns and she wasn't going to risk her happiness for something that might not work out. She had seen the pain that I had went through with Tobin and she didn't want to go through that." "Can I talk now?" "I guess" Heather said sitting down. "I first want to say thank you for having Moe's back when I wasn't there to have her back. Second I'm sorry about what happened with you and Tobin but you seem to be ok now." Heather nodded. She didn't know what was going on with her and Tobin but they were good right now. "Me going to Portland was a good thing just like I know you and Moe going to Chicago is a good thing. I miss playing with you and Moe. I miss seeing the two of you in front of me during line ups. I know that I have to earn both your and Moe's trust back and I will. I miss being the three amigos." "I miss you too Kling" Heather said giving Kling a hug.

That night   
Heather and Morgan were relaxing in the hotel when there was a knock on the door. "I got it" Morgan said. As soon as she opened the door she tried to shut it. "Moe can we please talk" Kling said as her foot stopped Morgan from shutting the door. "It's Morgan to you now and no" Morgan said leaning against the door. "Moe don't break her foot plus I think you need to hear her out again" Heather said squeezing Morgan's hand before opening the door for Kling. "Good luck" Heather said whispered to Kling before heading down to Alyssa's room to talk to her and Becky.  
"What did you say to her" Morgan said folding her arms. "Maybe she remembers the old me" Kling said with a smile walking into the room. "There was an old you" "Morgan said walking over to her bed. "Yeah the old me that use to go on Mac attacks with you and Heather. The old defender that would be the first on to march up to the ref the second you or Heather went down. I'm still the same defender that hats the fact that I can't yell at the ref when something happens to you and Heather because we are on different teams now. It hurt so much watching Heather go down with her ACL injury and I couldn't do anything about it" Kling said sitting on Heather's bed across from Morgan. "I'm sure you do all those things with your girl in Portland and with Lindsey, Emily and Tobin." "I don't do Mac attacks with anyone but you and Heather. Lindsey and Emily have each others backs and Tobin can handle anyone who comes at her" Kling said with a smile. "Yeah I have been on the opposite side of angry Tobin." "What happened?" "Don't worry. Everything is fine between Heath and me but what does that mean for me and you?" "I would like to be Klingenmoe again if you want too?" Morgan just smiled.  
Heather walked back into the hotel room to see Morgan and Kling cuddling on the same bed watching a movie. "Everything ok between the two of you now?" "Yeah. We're all good now."

USA vs Netherlands  
Heather hugged Kling when the final whistle blew. "Four stars baby!" Kling yelled hugging Heather tighter. Heather smiled when she saw Carli and Kelley kissing, Ashlyn and Ali kissing, Alyssa spinning Becky around and Lindsey spinning Emily around. Heather was happy to see that Soran had seemed to have finally gotten their acts together. "Hey it looks like someone is looking for you" Kling said pointing to the field. Heather turned to see that Tobin was walking towards the stands that Heather and Kling were sitting in. Heather made it down to were the barrier was. "Hey. You played amazing" Heather said staring down at Tobin with a smile. "Thanks. Can you lean down a little bit more?" Heather was confused but leaned down anyway. When Tobin kissed her Heather smiled and returned the kiss.

2 months later  
Heather leaned back in her locker. They were in the semi finals against the Thorns. At least they were playing in Chicago so that made it a little easier. "You ready to do this" Nikki asked sitting next to her. "You mean am I ready to play against my girlfriend and 3 of my friends." "You'll be fine." "You're lucky that Sam is on the same team as you" Heather said giving her sister a shove.   
Heather jumped on Sam after she scored. Heather was torn because she was excited that the Red Stars might have a chance to make it to the finals. She also felt horrible because if the Red Stars went to the finals that meant the Thorns were done for the season. She didn't want her season to be done but she also didn't want the Thorns to be done either.  
Just before the teams headed to the locker rooms for half time Heather saw Kling and Sam getting into it. Heather looked at Morgan before running over to the defender and striker. She grabbed Sam and Morgan grabbed Kling. "Sam come on let it go." "She started it." "Look we have another 45 minutes left and we need you" Heather said pushing Sam towards the Red Stars locker room.  
As soon as the final whistle blew Alyssa picked Heather up and spun her around. "We're going to the finals!" Heather smiled and hugged her. Once Alyssa put Heather down she walked over to Emily and Lindsey. "You guys did amazing" she said pulling both of them into a hug. "Please beat North Carolina and Hinkle for us" Emily mumbled into Heather's neck. "I'll try" Heather said squeezing both of them. All of a sudden Heather felt a weight hit her back. "Come on Em. Let's give them a minute" Lindsey said pulling Emily away from Heather and Tobin. Once Emily and Lindsey were gone Heather turned to face Tobin. "I'm sorry." "Tobin smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm proud of you and your team and Emily is right. You guys need to beat North Carolina." "We will try our best" Heather said before kissing Tobin.

A week later North Carolina vs Chicago  
Morgan saw Heather shaking in her locker. Morgan turned to look at Nikki. "You want to check on her or do you want me too." Nikki smiled. "I got it" Nikki said walking over to her sister. "You doing ok" Nikki asked sitting next to her sister. "What if I can't do this? What if I let Alyssa down. What if I let you, Sam, Moe, Julie and Tierna down." Nikki pulled her sister into a hug. "Have you forgotten that soccer is a team sport. It's not just you going up against North Carolina." Heather just nodded into her big sister's shoulder. "Come with me for a minute" Nikki said pulling Heather out of the locker room.  
"Nikki why are we out here? Rory is going to be mad" Heather said. "Look over there" Nikki said pointing to the stands. Heather looked to see Tobin, Alex, Kelley, Carli, Becky, Ashlyn, Ali, Kling, Emily and Lindsey in Chicago jerseys and Kristie and Rachel in Houston jerseys. "Still think we can't do this" Nikki asked. Heather just smiled.  
Heather jumped on her sister as soon as the final whistle blew. The Red Stars were the 2019 NWSL Champions. "We did it baby sister! We did it!" Nikki said spinning her around. Heather was so happy to be a Red Star. They had finally broken the curse.


End file.
